Thursday, November 5, 2009

Jewel has a truly fantastic Catalina deal this week - so good that I was able to get everything pictured above for $.59, plus make a $10 profit in catalinas (see the end of my post for more details on this shopping trip)! The promo is, buy $30 worth of select Unilever, General Mills, or Kimberly Clark products, and get $15 back in Catalina coupons. As I have mentioned before, the $30 threshold for these types of deals is based on whatever the products scans at before you scan your preferred card. This is the beauty of Jewel Catalina deals! And, although the deal is advertised as "buy $30, get $15," you can stack up to 3 deals per transaction, meaning that if you buy $60 or $90 worth, you will get back $30 or $45, respectively.

This promotion includes a wide variety of products, and you can get everything from Breyer's ice cream to Chex mix to paper towels for pennies on the dollar.

Here are some of the items that struck as especially good deals, plus some coupon match-ups and sample scenarios. Please note that pre-preferred card prices may vary some by store. Because of the nature of this deal, anything that has a preferred card price of half of less than what it scans for will essentially be free after the catalina. Most of the things on the list below are free (or better!) after coupons and the catalina deal.

Knorr Rice Sides @ $1.89 pre-card/$1.49 preferred. $1/3 printable coupon here or here (note on the second printable: the coupon is on pg. 2; it prints from a Save-a-Lot site, but it should be a manufacturer coupon that you can use anywhere). Also, every time I have bought these, I get a coupon for more, usually something like $1 off 4 or $2 off 8.Lipton dry soup mix @ $1.99 pre-card/$.99 preferred. I don't think there are any coupons for it, but it's on sale for half of what it scans, so it's free after the catalina!Green Giant Corn, Peas, or Green Beans, 11-15 oz. @ $1.29 pre-card/$.79 preferred. These make good fillers if you need something cheap to bump your total up over the $30/60/90 threshold.Progresso Broth @ $2.99 pre-card/$1.49 preferred. Use $.50 coupon from 10/4 insert or printable coupon from Coupons.com.Progresso Rich & Hearty Soup @ $2.79 pre-card/$1.49 preferred. Use $1/3 printable, $1.10/3 printable from Coupons.com, or the $.50/2 coupon from 9/13 or 10/25 inserts.Progresso Bread Crumbs @ $2.99 pre-card/$1.99 preferred. Use $1/2 printable coupon from Coupons.com (good on any Progresso products except soup and broth).Chex mix @ $2.99 pre-card/$1.69 after. Use $.50/1 coupon from 10/25 insert (good only on chocolate flavors), $.50/2 from 10/4 insert, or $.50/1 printables from Coupons.com (there are two, one is good only on chocolate flavors).Gold Medal Flour @ $3.29 pre-card/$1.99 preferred. Use $.50 coupon from Eat Better America.Yoplait Yo-Plus, Fiber One, or Delights 4-pk. yogurt @ $3.39 pre-card/$2.49 preferred. Use $1 coupons from 10/4 or 9/13 inserts, $1 printables from Coupons.com, $1.25 printables here and/or here, or $1 printables here, here, and/or here.Wishbone salad dressing @ $2.49 pre-card/$1.99 preferred. Use $.75 printable coupon.Breyer's ice cream @ $5.99 pre-card/$2.99 preferred. Use $.75 coupon from 10/18 insert or $1/2 printable coupon (note on the printable: the coupon is on pg. 2; it prints from a Save-a-Lot site, but it should be a manufacturer coupon that you can use anywhere).Hellmann's Mayonnaise, 22 oz. squeeze bottle @ $5.39 pre-card/$2.99 preferred. Use $1/2 printable coupon (the coupon is on pg. 2; it prints from a Save-a-Lot site, but it should be a manufacturer coupon that you can use anywhere). And, make sure you get the right size and type of bottle - other varieties are included in the sale, but not all have the same pre-preferred price, which could throw off the total you need to get your catalina.Scott paper towels, 1 ct. Mega Roll @ $1.99 pre-card/$1.29 preferred. Use $1/4 coupon from 11/1 insert.General Mills CerealCheerios, 8.9 oz. @ $2.99 pre-card/$1.88 preferred.Cinnamon Toast Crunch, 12.8 oz., or Golden Grahams, 12 oz. @ $2.79 pre-card/$1.88 preferred.Trix, 10.7 oz. @ $3.09 pre-card/$1.88 preferred.Use $.55 Cheerios coupon from Coupons.com, $.55 Cinnamon Toast Crunch coupon, $1/2 coupons from 9/27 or 11/1 inserts, $1/3 coupon from 10/4 insert, or $1/2 printable coupon.

Before preferred card: $91.42After preferred card: $51.12Minus coupons:$4 off $40 purchase (Look out for these coupons - they may either print after your transaction, or you might find them lying around the check-out areas. I found this one in the bottom of a shopping cart.)(5) $.50/1 Progresso broth(5) $1/1 Yoplait(1) $1/3 Progresso soup(1) $.50/2 Progresso soup(1) $1.75/7 Knorr sides (coupon received from buying Knorr on my last trip)(1) $1.25/5 Knorr sides (also received on my last trip)

I then paid with $35 in catalina coupons from previous trips and $.59 in cash ($.47 of which was tax) and got $45 back in cats! And to think that I used to refuse to shop at Jewel because I thought they were too expensive...

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

I recently received an email from JCPenney about their new JCP Rewards program. In my opinion, the best part is that when you sign up, you get a coupon for $10 off any purchase. Since the minimum purchase requirement is only $10, that means you could get $10 worth of free stuff! According to the email I received from them, you register a credit or debit card with your rewards account, and then you get points for purchases made with that card. When you get enough points, you can redeem them for additional $10 coupons. Go here to sign up.

CVS recently started a "green bag tag" promotion using tags like the one pictured above. I found mine hanging on a small display near the register at the front of the store. You buy the tag for a one-time cost of $.99 and then attach it to any reusable bag. After purchasing the tag, you will get $1 ECB every fourth time you use it. So, basically, you'll earn back the cost of the tag after 4 uses, and then it's only profit after that - plus you're reducing plastic waste! There is a "limit of one Green Bag tag use/scan per day" per Extra Care card.

Prime Vision or Rally Wiper Blade @ 2/$3 (not a rebate deal, but seems like a decent price to me)

There are some additional things to be aware of concerning Menards rebates. For items that are simply free after rebate, you are required to also purchase $10 of products that are not free after rebate. However, you should be able to count items that have rebates but are not free toward that $10. If you don't want or need anything else, you could also get a $10 gift card to meet that purchase requirement. Most (maybe all?) Menards also accept competitor coupons, so if you have a coupon for money off your next order at another hardware store such as Home Depot or Lowe's, you could use that to get an even better deal.

Unless otherwise noted, all rebates are submitted directly to Menards, not to each individual manufacturer, so you can submit everything all at once. Also, the rebate will come in the form of a merchandise check, which is good only at Menard's. However, you can "roll" your Menards gift checks, meaning that you can use your merchandise check from one week to purchase the rebate items for another week. By doing this, you will minimize your out-of-pocket expenses.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

As I mentioned in my previous post, I wasn't up to posting much lately due to traveling and sickness in our family, but I think things are better now, so I'm back! If you're new to Walgreens shopping, check out my post here, which explains their system and how to get the most for your money when shopping there. Here are the best deals I see for the week of 10/25:

Buy 2 Trident Layers gum @ $.99 (with in-ad store coupon)Use (2) $.75 printable coupons or B1G1 coupon from 10/18 insertPay $.48-.99, get $1 in Register Rewards; final cost = $.52 profit or FREE after coupons and Register Rewards*Note: This Register Reward (RR) deal is not advertised in the flyer, but it is an October monthly deal.

Buy (2) Sudafed PE 20 or 24 ct. or OM nasal spray .5 oz. @ 2/$12, get $3 RRUse (1) $2 coupon from 8/2 or 10/4 insert and $4 coupon from 10/4 insert (Note: must buy at least 1 nasal spray in order to use the $4 coupon)Pay $6, get $3 RR; final cost = $3 for 2, or $1.50 each after coupons and RR

Buy 8 select Dove hair care products @ $4.99, B1G1 free = $19.96Use (8) $1.50 or $1 coupons from 10/4 insertDepending on what coupons you have, pay $7.96-$11.96 after coupons and get $10 RR; final cost = $2.04 profit to $1.96 for 8 ($.25 each) after coupons and RR*Note: This RR deal is not advertised in the flyer but is an ongoing October monthly deal. Also note that the $1.50 coupon is good only on conditioner, while the $1 coupon is good on any Dove hair care product.

Buy 2 Bayer Contour or Breeze 2 glucose meters @ $14.99 (these are part of the buy $20, get $5 promo)Use (2) $30 coupons from 10/25 insert (coupons will need to be adjusted down to the purchase price; they will not take off $30 when the meter costs $14.99)Pay tax and get $5 RR; final cost = $5 profit after coupons and RR

You could also use the Bayer "buy $20, get $5" deal to get free vitamins:

Even if you don't use glucose meters yourself, as you can see, it is sometimes financially beneficial to buy them anyway. Plus, some charitable organizations accept them as donations, so you can also help others in the process. Or, you can strip them for parts - if the meter comes with test strips, many diabetics appreciate receiving just the strips, since those can be quite pricey. I have also heard that the batteries from the meters will work in some pacemakers.

In addition to the above deals advertised in the weekly ad, the following deals were advertised in the 9/27 ad but are actually valid for the entire month of October, so you can still get them:

Between traveling and sickness in our family over the last couple weeks, I wasn't up to posting last week, but I think things are on the upswing now, so I'm back on the blog. There aren't a lot of freebies at CVS this week, but there are some pretty cheap items. If you're new to CVS shopping, check out my post here, which explains how to make the system work for you. Here are the best deals I saw:

Buy 1 Nova Max glucose meter @ $9.99, get $9.99 ECB = FREE after ECB

Limit 1 deal per Extra Care card

*Note: Even if you don't need glucose meters yourself, many charitable organizations accept them as donations. Or, you can strip them for parts - if the meter comes with test strips, many diabetics appreciate getting just the strips, since those can be quite pricey. I have also heard that the batteries from glucose meters will work in some pacemakers.

Buy 1 Gillette Fusion razor @ $9.99, get $5 ECB

Use $4 coupon from 9/27 insert

Pay $5.99, get $5 ECB; final cost = $.99 after coupons and ECB

Limit 1 deal per Extra Care card

Buy $20 of select Dove products, get $10 ECB

Buy 5 conditioners @ $4 each = $20

Use (5) $1.50 coupons from 10/4 insert

Pay $12.50, get $10 ECB; final cost = $2.50 for 5, or $.50 each after coupons and ECB

Limit 1 deal per Extra Card card*Note: If you have a Walgreens, Dove is a better deal there this week!

Buy $20 of select allergy and cold remedies, get $10 ECB

Buy 3 Sudafed OM nasal sprays @ $7 = $21

Use (2) $2 coupons from 8/2 insert and (1) $4 coupon from 10/4 insert

Pay $13, get $10 ECB; final cost = $3 for 3, or $1 each after coupons and ECB

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

From 10/15 through 10/21, Jewel will be running a promotion on select General Mills products, including certain Betty Crocker, Green Giant, Progresso, Pillsbury, Cascadian Farms, and Totino's items, plus some General Mills cereals: when you buy $25, you get a $10 "off your next order" coupon (OYNO). However, the thing that makes these deals so great at Jewel is that the $25 threshold required to get the $10 coupon is based on the prices before you scan your preferred card. This can make for some truly amazing deals!

In addition to the "buy $25, get $10" promo, there is also an overlapping deal on Pillsbury refrigerated products: buy 4, get $2 off your next order; buy 5, get $3; buy 6 or more, get $4. Items that appear to be included in both promotions are crescent rolls, cookie dough, cinnamon rolls, Grands!, and pie crusts. If you satisfy the requirements of both promotions, you should get both coupons, so you could potentially get back a total of $14 if you buy the right items.

As a general rule, my strategy when doing these deals at Jewel is to do multiple transactions, starting with the one that requires paying the least amount out of pocket but still yields the OYNO coupon. Then, in subsequent transactions (usually over the course of several days), I buy $25 worth (based on pre-Preferred Card prices) and use my OYNO coupon (s) to pay for it. If I have done my math right, I usually pay less than a dollar out of pocket after using my OYNO coupons. Then, each transaction yields new OYNO coupons, which I can use on your next transaction. If you want to really stock up and get the most for your money, you can keep on "rolling" your OYNO coupons into the same deal over and over again, until you have sufficiently stocked up on what you need. If you combine this sale with other manufacturer coupons, you can also often create overage, which I use to buy meat and other things that are harder to get good deals on. The last time Jewel had a similar deal, I got a few hundred dollars worth of groceries for a total of less than $20 out of pocket, so these deals can definitely help with your grocery budget! I have outlined a couple scenarios below that I thought might be helpful.

Another thing to watch out for: the pre-Preferred Card price is not always the same as the shelf price that is marked on the shelf above the sale sticker. Sometimes it is listed in very small print, but not always. If it's not listed anywhere, you can find a price scanner at your store (my store has them in the liquor and frozen food sections); the scanner will typically show 3 prices for an item: the regular price, sale price, and preferred price. The amount that counts toward this deal is the middle one, what the scanner calls the "sale price."

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Through Wednesday, Jewel is running a promotion to get $3 off your order instantly when you buy $10 worth of participating products. One of the items is Ronzoni Healthy Harvest pasta, which is on sale for $1/box. There are printable coupons for $1 off 2 at both Coupons.com (mine was on pg. 3 of the coupons) and here. I was able to print 2 coupons from each site by hitting the back button. After coupons and store promotion, each box of pasta is $.20 each! Here's the math for a sample scenario:

That is a great deal, especially for all-natural whole grain pasta! But, to make this deal even better, there is also a Upromise coupon for $1 off 2 boxes of Ronzoni Healthy Harvest, making the final cost $1 for 10 boxes, or $.10 each! The Upromise coupon will not come off at the register, but the amount will be added to your Upromise account if your Jewel card is registered with them. If you don't have a Upromise account yet, you can go here to get started. As I mentioned in my posts here and here, money earned through Upromise can be used to either save for college or pay existing college loans.

You may remember that in previous Jewel posts, I wrote that the deals that generate coupons for money off your next order work off the price before you scan your preferred card. I wanted to point out that this is not the case with the instant savings promotions like this one. These kinds of promotions are based on the sale price advertised in the ad; you will see the discount come off at the register after you scan the required dollar amount.

There are some additional things to be aware of concerning Menards rebates. For items that are simply free after rebate, you are required to also purchase $10 of products that are not free after rebate. However, you should be able to count items that have rebates but are not free toward that $10. If you don't want or need anything else, you could also get a $10 gift card to meet that purchase requirement. Most (maybe all?) Menards also accept competitor coupons, so if you have a coupon for money off your next order at another hardware store such as Home Depot or Lowe's, you could use that to get an even better deal.

Unless otherwise noted, all rebates are submitted directly to Menards, not to each individual manufacturer, so you can submit everything all at once. Also, the rebate will come in the form of a merchandise check, which is good only at Menard's. However, you can "roll" your Menards gift checks, meaning that you can use your merchandise check from one week to purchase the items for another week. By doing this, you will minimize your out-of-pocket expenses.

This week at Staples, the GE 4-device universal remote is free after rebate! It is priced at $9.99 after the instant savings discount, and it has a $10 Easy Rebate. This could make a good stocking stuffer for someone at Christmas!

According to their ad, these rebates are both done through their Easy Rebate program. If you've never done a Staples rebate before, their "easy rebates" really are, well, easy. The rebate forms will print at the end of your transaction so you can mail it in, or you can submit it online here. Personally, I prefer to do the online submission because it's easy and I know I won't lose anything before mailing it in.

There are some good coupons in this week's newspaper inserts, in case you're wondering if they're worth buying or not! These are some that I think might come in handy at some point:

Ricola Natural Mixed Berry with Vitamin C supplement drops, B1G1 - These could potentially be a good deal at Walgreens (probably paired with an in-ad coupon) or at Kmart during super doubles.

Revlon Color Cosmetic Product, $1/1 - Sales and ECB offers for Revlon products cycle around fairly often at CVS, so these coupons could get you some free or very cheap make-up.

Playtex tampons, $1/1 - These sometimes go on sale for free to $.99 after ECB at CVS, so they would be free or better after coupons.

Campbell's soup/gravy coupons, various products and values - Fall and winter is the time for good soup deals, which could be even better with coupons.

Schick Disposable Razor, $2/1 - Schick 2-packs are $.99 in the CVS travel section. Use this coupon, and get them for free! Note: The register will prompt the cashier to adjust the coupon down to the total value of the products sold, so to get the most out of your money, you should buy 2.

Dentek floss, $1/1 - Dentek roll floss is still free after Register Rewards (buy 1 @ $2 RR, get $2 RR) as part of the monthly deal. Use this coupon and make a $1 profit!

Ecotrin aspirin, $2/1 - Walgreens sometimes has Register Reward deals on Ecotrin, which could be free or better after the coupon.

Select GlaxoSmithKline products, $10/3 and $7/2 - This coupon includes Ecotrin. See above note on Ecotrin.

Thai Kitchen, $.50/1 - Thai Kitchen noodle packets are $.99 at Super Kmart, so they are free after coupon there if Kmart is doubling coupons.

(2) Huggies Jumbo Pack Pull-Ups @ 2/$18, get $4 RRUse (2) $2/1 printable coupons (try hitting the back button on your browser and printing a second coupon on each computer)Pay $14, get $4 RR; final cost = $10 for 2, or $5 each after coupons and RR

Thursday, October 8, 2009

Tonight (10/8) through 10/12, Herbal Essences is holding a "Gorgeous Giveaway"! Each day, they will give away up to 18,750 coupons for free full-size products. To get your coupon(s), go to the Herbal Essences Facebook page and then look for the "herbalgiveaway" link. (Others have reported that it only works when you link to the form directly from the Facebook page, so that's why I'm linking to Facebook, rather than the form directly.)

Remember the $3 Snuggle coupon from this week's paper? Well, this week Ultra Foods has Snuggle on sale for $2.99, so you can get it for free after the coupon! It is very, very rare to see a deal for free fabric softener, so this is definitely the time to stock up if you use it!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

The Upromise program recently issued some new coupons that you can add to your account! This month's coupons include basic grocery and household items such as Huggies diapers, Bounty paper towels and napkins, Charmin toilet paper, Wacky Mac, and Spray & Wash.

As I mentioned in my previous post, Upromise is probably most well known as a program that helps you save for future college expenses, but it can also be used to pay down loans you already have. First, go here to register your participating store loyalty cards, then add any of the available coupons to your account. Then, when you use your store card to purchase those items, the coupon amounts will be deposited into your Upromise account. You can also register credit and debit cards with Upromise and get back a percentage of the amount you spend at participating restaurants, gas stations, stores, and websites. I think most stores that have loyalty programs do participate in Upromise, so it's definitely worth checking out! I was able to register my Kroger, Jewel, and CVS cards.

Click on the link below to request a FREE Kraftmaid book full of ideas about organizing and enhancing your living space! After clicking on the link, look at the top of the page for the link that says "request idea book."

Monday, October 5, 2009

Cellfire released some new e-coupons today that you can load on to your Kroger or Safeway/Dominick's card! Click here to load the coupons, or check out the widget in my sidebar. Most of the coupons are for various General Mills brands, including Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Yoplait, General Mills cereal, Nature Valley, and Progresso. There are also recent insert coupons for these products, for even more savings!

ETA 10/8/09: Unfortunately, the CVS Photo offer reached its limit and is no longer available.

Click on the link above to sign up for CVS Photo Center (it's free!), and you'll get 50 free prints! Pictures can be picked up in store, so you don't even have to pay shipping. It also includes free photo storage and sharing.

Walgreens often has Register Reward deals for Listerine and Reach products, and the basic Reach floss sometimes goes on sale for $.99, so you could use these coupons to stock up on various oral hygiene products.

Pepcid, Imodium, Rolaids, Mylanta, or Lactaid, $4/2, exp. 1/4/10

Pepcid, Imodium, Rolaids, Mylanta, or Lactaid, $1/1, exp. 1/4/10

Last time I checked, CVS (and maybe other stores too?) have a 6-pk. of Rolaids soft chews that would be free with the $4/2 coupon. CVS also has occasional ECB deals on Rolaids and Mylanta.

Bengay, $2/1, exp. 1/31/10

If you use Bengay, you can use these coupons to get it for $.50 each at Walgreens this week.

Select Dove products are on sale for 25% off at Walgreens this week, and you get a $10 Register Reward when you buy 8, so depending on the prices at your store and what coupons you have, it could work out to be a good deal.

All liquid laundry detergent, 32+ load, $1/1, exp. 11/29/09

If you shop at Jewel or other SuperValu stores, All is often part of Unilever catalina deals there, and you could get laundry detergent for free or better!

Snuggle liquid fabric softener (32+ load) or sheets (70+ ct.), $3/1

Such high-value coupons for any kind of fabric softener are very few and far between, so if you use this product, these coupons should be great for you!

Skippy peanut butter, $.75/2, exp. 11/29/09

Walgreens has semi-regular Register Reward deals that usually include Skippy, so these coupons could make for some pretty cheap peanut butter.

Fleischmann's yeast, $.40/1, exp. 1/31/10

There is currently a catalina deal on Fleischmann's at Kroger - buy 1 strip and get a coupon for $.50 off your next order, or buy 1 jar and get $1 off your next order. The strips are really the better deal here: last time I checked, they were $1.59 regular price; the coupon will double and take off $.80, and you will get a coupon for $.50 off your next order. Final cost is $.29/strip. I'd recommend waiting a while to buy this, though. At some point, the strips will probably go on sale for $1, so you would actually make a small profit after the coupon and catalina.

Campbell's soup (various products)

Soup deals are prevalent throughout the winter, so these coupons could possibly help you get some cheap or free soup.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Well, the week of 9/27 was so great at Walgreens, this week has to seem a little dull in comparison. But there are still some good deals! Here are the best ones I see:

Purell Hand Sanitizer, 8 oz. @ $2.99, get $2 RRUse coupon from 8/2 insert (could be either $.50 or $1, depending on where you live)Pay $2.49-$1.99, get $2 RR; final cost = FREE to $.49 after coupon and RR**Note: The ad says "while supplies last" by the Purell - I'm guessing this means that they're trying to clear out their stock or something and that supplies could already be low. So, if you really want Purell, I'd recommend getting it pretty early, probably on Sunday.

Campbell's tomato soup @ 2/$1 with in-ad store couponUse $1/2 printable couponFinal cost =FREE**Note: The coupon is for "cooking soups"; according to the Campbell's website, tomato soup is considered a cooking soup, so this coupon should be good to use here.

Dove products (select varieties) are on sale for 25% off, and hair care products are $3. When you buy 8, you get a $10 RR. Depending on the 25% off sale prices, this could be a good deal if you have coupons for everything. I'll update this post at some point when I know more about the prices.

Gillette Fusion MVP Manual or Power Razor System @ $8.99, get $6 RRUse $4 coupon from 9/27 insertPay $4.99, get $6 RR; final cost = $1.01 profit after coupon and RRCarefree Pantiliners @ $.99 with in-ad couponUse $1 coupon found in various magazines (June issues of Ladies Home Journal, Woman's Day, and Good Housekeeping; March issues of Cosmo, Parents, and Shape; Feb. issues of Cosmo, Parents, Seventeen, Shape, and Glamour)Final cost = $.01 profit**Note: It's best to give the manufacturer's coupon from the magazine first, then have the cashier scan the in-ad coupon at the very end. Otherwise, the register may beep, which could make things more difficult.

Friday, October 2, 2009

There are some good deals at CVS this coming week! To make them even better deals, go here to take a flu IQ quiz and get a coupon for $5 off a $25 purchase. You only need $25 before any other coupons and ECB are scanned (just make sure they scan the $5/$25 first!), so this is really kind of like "free money" in CVS world. Here are the highlights I saw for the week of 10/4:

Bayer Breeze blood glucose meter @ $14.99, get $5 ECB. Limit 2Use "up to $30" coupon from 2/1 insert (coupon will only take off the meter's purchase price, since it is under $30)Pay $0, get $5 ECB; final cost = $5 profit after coupon and ECB

Johnson & Johnson's medicine, selected varieties, buy $20 worth, get $10 ECB. Limit 1I haven't figured out a way to get it for free, but there are some scenarios you could do to get it relatively cheap, so if it's something you need right now or if you just use a lot of, it might be worth it.

Thursday, October 1, 2009

If you've never stopped by Jewel's blue Preferred Card tent when it's in your area, I highly recommend it! The store has a blue tent that they move around from store to store, to encourage people to update the information (address, email, etc.) on their preferred card. When you update your information, you get a book with some really great coupons, including SIX for completely free items:

Personally, unless you absolutely need the items right now, I would recommend holding on to some of these coupons for a while, to see if they go on sale buy one, get one free (BOGO). When Jewel has BOGO sales, the first item rings up at full price, and the second rings up at $0. This means that if you use the "free" coupons when the items are on BOGO sale, you will get 2 items for free! The coupon will take off the full price of the first one, and the second will have already rung up at $0. There are quite a few other coupons too, most of which are manufacturer coupons redeemable only at Jewel.

Here's the tent's schedule for October. Check it out if it's in your area!

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Walgreens released a coupon for $5 off a $25 purchase, good only today and tomorrow. Go here to print yours! The coupon states that it should be used after all your other coupons, so your post-coupon total would need to be $25. However, I have heard the managers at the stores near us specifically instructing their cashiers to take these coupons off first, which means you only need $25 worth before all other coupons. This can make a big difference when planning your transaction, so you may want to ask a manager at your store how they do it. If you use this coupon to buy some of the many things that are already free after Register Rewards this week, you could make a profit! Go here to read about the other deals at Walgreens this week.

I went to Kmart on Sunday because they are doing super doubles (up to $2, so a $2 coupon takes off $4). My daughter was very excited about some of the things I got, and she insisted on being in the picture too. :) Here's what I got for a grand total of $.74!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Kmart is running a super doubles promotion again this week, although it's not advertised in the circulars and you'll probably want to check with your store to confirm their rules for this particular promotion. This round of doubles seems to be the least consistent. The one consistent thing seems to be that you can't double more than four like coupons per transaction. Some stores may require that your pre-coupon total must be at least $25, others may limit you to 10 doubled coupons per transaction, and some might say they're only doubling Proctor & Gamble coupons (although other coupons will likely still double at the register anyway). I went yesterday and got over $50 worth of stuff for a grand total of $.74! Clearly, there are some great deals! To make it even better, when sign up for Kmart's e-newsletter here, you can get a coupon for $5 off a $50 order. So, if you get $50 worth of merchandise (before coupons), you can use this coupon and get an extra $5 cushion to absorb the cost of things that were not actually free.

There are some additional things to be aware of concerning Menards rebates. For items that are simply free after rebate, you are required to also purchase $10 of products that are not free after rebate. However, you should be able to count items that have rebates but are not free toward that $10. If you don't want or need anything else, you could also get a $10 gift card to meet that purchase requirement. Most (maybe all?) Menards also accept competitor coupons, so if you have a coupon for money off your next order at another hardware store such as Home Depot or Lowe's, you could use that to get an even better deal.

Unless otherwise noted, all rebates are submitted directly to Menards, not to each individual manufacturer, so you can submit everything all at once. Also, the rebate will come in the form of a merchandise check, which is good only at Menard's. However, you can "roll" your Menards gift checks, meaning that you can use your merchandise check from one week to purchase the items for another week. By doing this, you will minimize your out-of-pocket expenses.

Through October 2, you can get a free 5x7 photo book from Walgreens if you go here and become a fan of them on Facebook. This is not something you can pick up in the store, so you do have to pay shipping ($1.99 standard rate, according to the Walgreens website). But for $1.99, they make great Christmas gifts, especially for grandparents!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

There are some pretty good coupons in this week's paper! Here are the ones that I think are most likely to be useful:

Carnation Evaporated Milk, $.50/2 - Over the next few months, we should see several deals on baking supplies like evaporated milk. I know last year, these were free after coupon during one of Kroger's mega events.

Celestial Seasonings Tea Bags, $1/1 - I used these coupons to get free tea at Walgreens last year; they could come in handy again.

Colgate 360 Toothbrush, $1/1Colgate Total Enamel Strength or Advanced Toothpaste, $1/1Walgreens and CVS both have frequent deals on Colgate products, so these could make for free or at-profit toothbrushes or toothpaste.

Halls 20 ct. single bag, $.35/1Halls Refresh Hard Candy, $.75/1Halls Refresh Sugar Free are free after Register Rewards this week at Walgreens, so you'll come out ahead with these coupons.

Hershey's Special Dark bag or Extra Dark bar or bag, 3.5 oz.+, $1/1 - These coupons could get you free or cheap candy during either pre- or post-Halloween sales.

Lea & Perrins Thick Classic Worcestershire Sauce, $2/1 - If this goes on sale, these high-value coupons could make it cheap or free.

Crest Premium Paste 4.1 oz.+, $1/1 - CVS has quite a few ECB deals on Crest, so it could be free or better after coupon and ECB.

Oral-B Pulsar, CrossAction, Advantage Toothbrushes, $.75/1 - Advantage toothbrushes are free after Register Rewards this week at Walgreens, so you'll make a $.75 profit with these coupons.

Tide, $1/1 - If you're low on laundry detergent or are brand-loyal to Tide, this is a good week to use these coupons and get it at CVS. Otherwise, you can use these coupons to get travel-size detergent at stores like Target for free.

Vicks, $1/1 - Last year, I used these coupons to get free cough drops at Walgreens; the Vicks cough drops found near the front registers are priced at $.80-.90, so they were free after coupons.

Note: Not all coupon inserts are created equal - there are regional differences in the selection and wording of some coupons. Typically the bigger cities' newspapers get the "best" coupons. I get the Chicago Tribune because the coupons are much, much better than the ones in our local paper. Also, if your paper publishes an early Sunday edition on Saturday, it will probably have the same coupons in it, and will be a little cheaper at most stores. Or, if you're really just interested in a few coupons, you might want to check out a coupon clipping service like The Coupon Clippers (see my post here or the link in my sidebar), where you can pick and choose your coupons and get multiples of the things you really want.

Wow, what a great week at Walgreens! There are tons of deals this week! If you are new to shopping at Walgreens, you'll probably want to check out my post here, which explains how the system works and how to use it to get the most for your money.

Theraflu @ 2/$8, get $4 RRUse (2) $2 printable coupons and $2 store coupon from the Healthy Savings booklet (one coupon will take off $2 for each bottle you buy)Pay $0, get $4 RR = $4 profit after coupons and RR**Note: There was another Theraflu deal a few weeks ago, so some people (like me) may have already printed your limit of the Theraflu coupons. However, you can still get 2 for free just by using the Healthy Savings book coupons.

Tip: First, do the deals that yield a profit. The Theraflu is a great one to start with, since you can potentially get a $4 RR without spending anything out of pocket. Then use those RR to buy other items that generate RR, and it will reduce (or possibly eliminate) or out-of-pocket expense! For example, if you can still print the Theraflu coupons, you could do this:

It's not the most outstanding week at CVS, (especially compared to Walgreens - oh my gosh!) but there are some good deals. If you are new to CVS shopping, you'll probably want to check out my post here, which explains how to get the most for your money at CVS.

Week-long deals:Selected P&G products - Buy $25 worth, get $10 ECB, Limit 1Deal includes Tide @ $6 and Dawn at $1. Personally, I probably won't do this deal, but if you need laundry detergent or are brand-loyal to Tide (I know a lot of people are), this is a pretty good deal. I'm pretty sure this is the lowest price I've ever seen on this particular brand.

Potential deal:Buy 4 Tide @ $6 and 1 Dawn @ $1 = $25Use (4) $1/1 Tide from 8/30 P&G or 9/27 P&G inserts and a $.25/1 Dawn, also from either of those insertsPay $20.75, get back $10 ECB; final cost = $10.75 for 4 bottles of Tide and 1 Dawn, or a little over $2 each after coupons and ECB

Gillette Fusion Razor @ $9.99, get $5Use $4/1 coupon from 9/27 insertPay $5.99 and get $5 ECB; final cost = $.99 after coupon and ECB**Note: I only recommend this deal if you don't have a Walgreens nearby. You can actually make a profit on them at Walgreens this week, so I plan on using my coupons there instead.

Accu-Chek Aviva Diabetes Monitoring System @ $14.99, get $5 ECBUse $10/1 coupon from 8/23 insertPay $4.99 and get $5 ECB; final cost = -$.01 after coupon and ECB**Note: Even though you may not need a glucose meter, it can be good to buy this because it bumps your pre-coupon total up if you need to use a purchase-based coupon like $5 off $25 (like this printable one you can get for taking a flu quiz). It ends up being free after coupons and ECB, but you still get almost $15 credit toward the $25 you need to use the coupon.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Coupon policies can vary widely from store to store, and knowing the policies at your particular store can be very helpful so you can better plan and know what to expect. If you ask, you might be able to get a copy of the store's coupon policy at the customer service desk. And, here are some questions you can ask at your store so you can get the most for our money:

Does your store double or triple coupons? If so, up to what value do they double/triple? Is there a limit on the number of like coupons or total coupons that can be doubled/tripled per transaction? Does the store always double/triple coupons, or is it just on certain days of the week or during special promotions?

Does your store accept expired coupons? How far out from the expiration date will expired coupons be accepted?

Does your store accept internet-printed coupons? Is there a limit on the number of internet coupons that will be accepted per transaction? Is there a limit on the dollar amount or percent-of-value coupons that will be accepted?

Does your store issue store coupons that can be combined with manufacturer coupons? Many stores, including CVS, Walgreens, Target, and Meijer do this, and it can make for some amazing deals.

Does your store accept more than one like store coupon per transaction? The registers at some stores (such as CVS and Target) are sometimes set to not accept more than one of the same store coupon per transaction. It may vary from chain to chain (and even from store to store within chains) whether or not multiples will be accepted.

Go here to print a coupon for $5 off a $25 minimum purchase at CVS. You'll have to take a short quiz about the flu and flu shots, and you'll be able to print the coupon at the end. Remember - these coupons are based on your total before using any other coupons. So, if you have $25 worth of items that are free after ECB and/or coupons, the $5/25 coupon basically lets you get $5 worth of other things that you need for free (I usually use this overage to get groceries, which is one of the reasons our monthly grocery bill is so low).

Note: While it may be possible to print more than one of these coupons per computer, all coupons printed from one computer will have the same unique code on them. If more than one coupon with the same code is redeemed, the register will beep and tell the cashier that the coupon has already been used.

Welcome!

I am a working/SAH mom to a beautiful little girl. I also enjoy learning new ways to save money and helping others do the same. Check here often for tips on the latest deals and how to get the most for your money!